String Quartets Op 18 1-6 and Sonata Op 14 No 1

When it came to the genre of the string quartet, Beethoven was a relative latecomer. He was already 28 years old when he obtained the contract for the composition of the Quartets opp. 18 from Prince Lobkowitz, and 30 when he completed them. These are mature works that clearly distinguish themselves in their technical demands from, say, those of Mozart